“Not a Lot of Brain Cells in That Shot!”: Charles Barkley ‘Playfully’ Mocked Dr. Shaquille O’Neal and DeMarcus Cousins During 2016 All-Star Game

Undoubtedly, Charles Barkley stands as the most humorous individual on TNT and quite possibly the most entertaining commentator when it comes to discussing NBA games on television. His partner in this delightful banter is none other than Shaquille O’Neal, a four-time NBA champion. If you haven’t experienced their witty exchanges, you might perceive it as if they’re on the verge of a heated argument. While Shaq boasts his championship rings, Chuck wields his razor-sharp words, and together, they ignite the stage with their dynamic chemistry. One memorable instance of this occurred during the 2016 All-Star Game when Chuckster spotted Demarcus Cousins and Shaq sharing the court, prompting him to unleash his playful teasing on the duo.

No matter if it’s a regular season or postseason game, Shaq and Chuck remain unstoppable. In Game 1 of the postseason clash between the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat, O’Neal meticulously analyzed the game. However, his insights were frequently interrupted by Charles. Shaq couldn’t resist and swiftly retorted, saying, “I am trying to explain something, you big dummy.” But expecting that to deter Charles Barkley would be a misunderstanding of his character because he never backs down. And Barkley showed exactly that when he took his revenge in 2016.

Charles Barkley makes fun of Shaquille O’Neal; says he has fewer brain cells

Charles is likely to always ridicule Shaquille whenever he’s seen having fun. This was evident even at the All-star game when Shaq and Cousins hugged on the court after the handshake.

“Tell you what, not a lot of brain cells in that shot,” said Barkley with no hesitation.

He was definitely taking a shot at the intelligence of both big men.

Maybe Barkley overlooked the fact that Shaq holds the title of “Doctor” due to his Doctorate in Education from Barry University in Miami. On the contrary, Cousins is infamous for his hot-headed nature. Lately, there have been reports stating that Bob Myers informed Cousins that his aggressive behavior was causing him to be ousted from the league. Regardless of the accuracy of Barkley’s statements about them, he undoubtedly entertained everyone, as he always does.

Barkley takes a cognitive test and fails miserably

In 2020, Sir Charles underwent a cognitive test, and, to put it delicately, it didn’t yield the results he had hoped for. Ernie Johnson, the co-host on NBA on TNT, assigned Barkley the challenge of recalling various words.

The twist was that Chuck had to answer three separate questions and then recall the previous words. He was given a list of five words to remember: Boston, shot-clock, Denver, donut, and Utah. However, when asked to repeat those five words after the questions, he could only recall three.

Chuck could only the following words: Boston, shot clock, and Utah. When he struggled to remember the last two words, he jokingly asked his co-host if one of them was “pizza.” Kenny humorously pointed out that Charles seemed fixated on food. Meanwhile, Shaq couldn’t contain his laughter as he watched Chuck’s perplexed and helpless expression, going so far as to sing to distract his friend.